METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING INGESTION OF MEDICATIONS USING AN IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICE
First Claim
1. In a system comprising an implantable medical device and an external device in communication with the implantable medical device, a method comprising:
- sensing, with the implantable medical device, a signal transmitted by a pill being ingested by a patient;
detecting ingestion of the pill based on the sensed signal;
transmitting data from the implantable medical device to the external device; and
processing the data at the external device to determine medication compliance by the patient.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An implantable medical device, such as a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), is configured to automatically detect ingestion of medications to verify that prescribed medications are taken in a timely manner and at the correct dosage. Briefly, individual pills are provided with miniature radio frequency identification (RFID) devices capable of transmitting RFID tag signals, which identify the medication contained within the pill and its dosage. The implanted device is equipped with an RFID transceiver for receiving tag signals from a pill as it is being ingested. The implanted system decodes the tag to identify the medication and its dosage, then accesses an onboard database to verify that the medication being ingested was in fact prescribed to the patient and to verify that the correct dosage was taken. Warning signals are generated if the wrong medication or the wrong dosage was taken. Therapy may also be automatically adjusted. Non-RF-based ID devices are also described, which instead transmit ID data via biphasic current pulses.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. In a system comprising an implantable medical device and an external device in communication with the implantable medical device, a method comprising:
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sensing, with the implantable medical device, a signal transmitted by a pill being ingested by a patient; detecting ingestion of the pill based on the sensed signal; transmitting data from the implantable medical device to the external device; and processing the data at the external device to determine medication compliance by the patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system for use in monitoring the ingestion of pills by a patient, the system comprising:
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an implantable medical device adapted to sense a signal from a pill being ingested by a patient, and to transmit data corresponding to the pill; and an external device in communication with the implantable medical device and adapted to receive the data from the implantable medical device and to process the data to determine medication compliance by the patient. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification